Daily Devotional For Sunday, February 15, 2026
Good day Southside. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew and today we come to Matthew 24. Because of the length of this passage, we are breaking it into parts. Today, we come to part 4 of Matthew 24:1-14:
“Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. (2) And He said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.’ (3) As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ (4) And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. (5) For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. (6) You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (8) But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (9) ‘Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. (10) At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. (11) Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12) Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. (13) But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (14) This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (NASB).
Jesus said that not only would His disciples be hated from their own families, they would be hated from all nations. Jesus has warned us that we should not be shocked when the world hates us for being His disciples (see John 15:18-21). This means we should not be suspicious or withdrawn from the world either (see 1 Corinthians 5:9-11). To be a disciple of Jesus and to stay faithful will take not just faith, but persistent perseverance. Our faith will be tested to the limit because the devil and his demons hate God and he hates us. If he can lure us away from our discipleship he will have won. This means as the end nears intense, severe trials will sift disciples, separating the wheat from the chaff. Such trials reveal who is a genuine disciple.
In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that as the end nears, relationships are going to get messy and inharmonious. People you once considered to be a Christian brother or sister will turn on and against you. Those who once admired you for your Christian faith and discipleship, will become intolerant of it and out of spite, begin to hate you. And finally, even the justice system that once protected you and your freedom of religion, will no longer do that. It will hunt you down and attempt to exterminate you like a rabid dog.
As a result, Jesus says that many will fall away due to this persecution. There will be mass defection for personal protection. We see this in verse 10. Not only this, people will betray each other. It will be like in the day of Nazi Germany, when Germans turned in other Germans for hiding and helping Jews escape and stay safe. The fear of persecution for not turning in Christians who do not comply with the government will be so overwhelming, that many will comply just to keep their families protected and fed.
Once there is an authorized government force to remove the Gospel and the church and to pressure Christians to comply with the approved government standard for living for Christians, there will be a void that will be filled with “false prophets.” False prophets in the Old Testament always said they had received messages from God. We have false prophets today. I call them televangelists such as Joel Osteen, Cleflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, Andy Stanley, and Steve Furtick just to name a few.
Some of these preach a “health and wealth” theology. Some of these preach an exclusive theology – nothing is really sin any more. All of these live lavish lifestyles in mansions, traveling in learjets they own (some in more than one they own), using guilt to milk their contributors for more and more money. Some of these preach a Gospel of “goodness” – if you are a good person, that is good enough. Nearly all of these false prophets present God in their image and thus lead their followers down a dark path of sin to hell. These false prophets’ teachings will cause people to fall away from the truth. The Greek New Testament word used here is [σκανδαλίζω; skandalizō]. It is where we get our English word “scandal.” Meaning, it is scandalous what these guys do in the Lord’s opinion.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, the Apostle Paul says that there are false prophets who will use persecution to influence believers to lose hope in the second coming of Christ > “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” (NASB). The main danger as we approach the last day is that truth has many enemies and those who promise to present “truth” with very convincing deceptions. This is why as Christians and disciples, we must know our Bible. We must know God’s truth, lest we be led astray by deception.
If you do not know God’s truth, how do you know who is speaking the truth? If you go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, all the serpent (the devil) did was twist God’s truth slightly and Adam and Eve were deceived and sin entered the world. This is why you and I must test everything against the truth of God’s Word, even today. The modern church is so concerned that it is losing this younger generation that it will compromise God’s truth to “pack the pews.” My concern is – so what if you pack the pew – that is not the same as packing heaven. We can pack the pews and people still die and go to hell.
There are Christian in parts of this world today who face unbelievable persecution for their faith in Christ. Several years ago, 21 Christian construction men were beheaded on live TV in Libya. In Iran, China and Nigeria today, Christians are hunted down for their faith in Christ. Jesus said at the end of this that the end will not come until the Gospel has been preached to the whole world. Today, it is estimated by mission groups that over 40% of the world’s population, 3-3.4 billion people have not heard the Gospel yet. That is roughly 1,800 to 2,500 unreached different language groups. When that is done, the end is here. With technology, mission groups are moving fast to reach these groups. Some people think this happened at Pentecost in Acts 2, when Peter stood up to preach and everyone through the power of the Holy Spirit heard Peter’s sermon in their own language. Others say, that was the beginning to the end. Obviously, Jesus did not return after that. Many scholars think the end is getting closer and closer today for all kinds of reasons.
Reflection Assignment: How would you answer these questions? – Is there anything in your life that scandalized your witness for the Lord? What are you doing personally to help get the Gospel to these 1,800 to 2,500 unreached different people groups? If Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses were to show up at your door, can you defend your faith without being swayed by their lies?
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Peter 3:15,”Your heart should be holy and set apart for the Lord God. Always be ready to tell everyone who asks you why you believe as you do. Be gentle as you speak and show respect” (NLV).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to be prepared to give reasons why I believe what I do. I do not want to be swayed by lies from Your truth. I promise to be a student of Your word. To learn it, to study it, to memorize it, and to share it. Help me through Your Holy Spirit to have wisdom and discernment to spot a lie and then the ability to confront it with Your truth. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly